Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Random Travel Photos: Bad London Haircuts of 1986-87

I attended the London School of Economics and Political Science for a year back in the mid-80s. Ah, Thatcher's Britain! The waning years of the true punk movement! The never-ending 24/7 anti-apartheid protest at the South African Embassy. Nights at tiny clubs listening to new bands that would make it big (like Erasure) and bands that would vanish overnight... Oh yeah - and the studying. I really did study hard. But I drank a lot of cider, too. Killed more than one brain cell.

The death of my brain cells might explain some of my haircut choices over that year. All were short, some of them dyed (I'd just started to go grey - eek), and at least one of them - courtesy of some asshole at the Vidal Sassoon Advanced Academy - that was vile. Truly, truly vile.

I'll let you guess which one that was...

So many ID photos... seriously, being a student is almost as badas living in the Soviet Union. May I see your papers?

Dear god, who let me spray a whole bottle of Sun-In on my head?No, seriously - someone should have stopped me!(Somewhere in Wales)

The only excuse I have for ANYTHING in this picture is that it was the 80s... the skinny vintage tie, the overdone makeup, the braided bracelet, the giant hoops, the NHS wirerims, and the Madonna scarf in my hair. The black jumper (that I made) and the crisp white shirt make me look like I should be taking your order at the Cheesecake Factory. What you can't see are my fake leopardskin boots - there were matching earrings at one point...(Once again, down at the basement pub at Passfield Hall)

There are days when it's hot and stinky and humid and miserable here when I miss my 80s hair, but I think I'd look even freakier with the buzzcut these days. And I'm not gonna run out and test drive that theory any time soon.

Your 80's photos have nothing on mine -- which not only feature the Madonna head wrap but also hair big enough to swallow an entire city.

My kids had a "decades" day at camp last month and my one daughter dressed entirely in authentic 80's vintage clothing that I had put away for exactly this kind of thing (Yes, my house is a total packrat nightmare.)

The other daughter wore a dashiki that my mother had saved from the 70's (So, yeah, it runs in the family.)